A Summer to Remember
by GhostFairy
Summary: All they wanted was a perfect summer. With a trip to the tropics, how could that not be possible? However, these girls are about to learn anything can and will happen.
1. Beach Bound

**Also known as the story with the cheesiest title ever. **

**This was inspired by Shark Week. It seems fitting to post this today as I just got my parking pass and I'll be getting my class schedule any day now. Summer is slowly trickling away. :(**

**Also, and this is important: I'm not sure who to pair Hikaru with. I've got a few ideas, but some input would be nice. I also don't have a complete plot hashed out so if anyone wants to help out there let me know. I'm still figuring some things out which is why this chapter doesn't have much as far as actual content. This is going to be my first attempt at a romance story, so I hope it turns out okay. Enjoy!**

**I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade. **

* * *

In a few hours, it would be summer. But for now, Hikaru found herself gazing out the window, willing the clock to move faster. The heat of the stuffy classroom wasn't helping. As soon as the bell rang, she would be out of there.

Summer. Hikaru had been waiting for it for months. No more school or pressure, just relaxing and hanging out with friends... This summer was going to be great; she could already tell. Even though there were no plans yet, she was sure she and her friends would be able to think of something to do.

But for now, she was stuck waiting in class while the teacher played some movie nobody cared to watch. She began to zone out. Just a little bit longer...

A tap on her shoulder alerted her. She turned around to see her friend Madoka Amano looking at her, blue eyes shining brightly.

"What?"

"We got it. The condo."

"Huh?" What was Madoka talking about? None of them owned a condo or knew anyone who did. How would they get access to one? "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you remember?" Madoka asked. "The contest!"

Suddenly it all came back to her. Hikaru's eyes widened. "No way."

"Yes way. Mei Mei just texted me. She won."

They had been at the mall one day in January, when a person running a kiosk shoved a flyer in their face. The flyer advertised a contest, with the prize being a stay in a beachside condo for four on an exotic island. They all entered, but none of them took it seriously. Who would? Their chances of winning were practically zero.

And yet they had.

"When do we leave?" Hikaru asked, trying to contain her excitement.

"Let me ask." Madoka busied herself with her phone.

Hikaru's mind was racing. She had to pack. What would she bring? Almost everything she owned raced through her head. Most of it she couldn't bring; it wouldn't be practical. She had to pack light. Which shouldn't be too hard, considering summer clothes. She'd be able to pack more than what was necessary without having to worry about carrying it. Besides, they'd probably be wearing bathing suits half the time anyway. She wouldn't need all that much. That reminded her.

She needed to go shopping.

Getting out of the confined classroom now seemed twice important. Hikaru looked at the clock once again. If it was even possible, which she doubted, it looked as though it was moving slower than before. She was seriously tempted to get up and leave now. Nobody would notice. And if they did, they probably wouldn't care. Despite this, she still stayed in her chair. There really wasn't any point. She couldn't go anywhere yet.

"You're kidding," Madoka said in disbelief.

"What?" Hikaru asked.

"We leave Friday."

"But-that's in two days!"

"I know!"

"If this clock moves any slower, we're not going to have time to pack."

Madoka groaned. "Tell me about it."

* * *

Hikaru had started packing the moment she got home. There was no time to waste. She had to make sure she had everything ready as soon as possible. The next day, she was almost done except for a few things. Hikaru planned to pick up any last minute items at the nearby mall. She and her friends were already there, furiously running around in an attempt to get what was necessary. The four of them were currently browsing through bathing suits, trying to find ones they deemed worthy of a tropical island. So far, they weren't having much luck.

"What about this one?" Madoka held up a strapless pink and white one piece.

Sophie studied it. "I don't know..."

"I'll keep looking." She placed it back on the rack and resumed digging.

Meanwhile, Hikaru had found a red string bikini with black floral designs. She also grabbed a dark blue one and headed to the dressing room. She didn't like to bring a lot of options with her; half the time most of the things she tried on didn't look as good as they did on the rack. It was easier to only try on a few, anyway. She would have more time to look for other things she needed if she didn't waste her time trying things on. Her friends always took forever searching the racks. Especially Mei Mei. As Hikaru passed her, she noticed the girl was comparing five different suits, trying to decide which ones she really liked. Hikaru couldn't help but grin.

Sophie was heading over to the dressing rooms as well. She had a pretty large pile in her hands, especially for only having been searching for a few minutes. Madoka was still looking.

Hikaru tried on the red one first. She immediately liked it. It fit perfectly and she loved the design.

"Hey guys, can you give me your opinion on this?" Hikaru heard Sophie call from the other side of the room.

She went to go see what Sophie was talking about. Sophie had on a green and silver bandeau style suit. In the center of the top, there was a glittering white crystal.

"That looks great, Sophie!" Madoka commented. Hikaru nodded in agreement.

"I'm still not sold on it. I'll try on the others," Sophie decided. She turned to face Hikaru. "You have to get that one. It looks amazing on you."

"It really does," Madoka added.

Hikaru smiled. "Thanks, guys!"

She went back into the dressing room and tried on the blue bathing suit. It didn't have the same effect; she didn't bother showing her friends. There was no point. She already knew she was getting the red one. Hikaru placed it back on the rack then went to see how her friends were doing. It soon became clear they were not having an easy time. Hikaru sighed. So much for having extra time to look around.

Mei Mei tried on the same dark blue bathing suit Hikaru had. She wasn't that fond of it either. She also tried on a yellow one with white heart outlines, but it wasn't what she was looking for either.

Sophie had finished trying everything on, but she was still deciding on which one to get. She liked them all, but none of them were jumping out at her. She took a break to help Hikaru try to find another suit for Mei Mei. They picked out one with cheetah print and a pink tie-dye one. Sophie grabbed a few more for herself to try on, including a zebra print one.

The two of them walked back over to the dressing rooms. They could see Madoka and Mei Mei arguing about something. Madoka was in an orange bathing suit while Mei Mei had on a green one.

"I don't like it, though!" Mei Mei was saying.

"But it looks good on you!" Madoka argued. She saw that Sophie and Hikaru had returned. "Guys, convince Mei Mei that she has to get that suit!"

"She's right," Hikaru agreed. "Mei Mei, you should definitely at least consider it."

"Well maybe," Mei Mei relented. "Oh, are those for me?" She grabbed the suits out of Hikaru's hand and disappeared in the fitting room once more.

Sophie went back in and tried on all her suits again along with the new ones she had chosen. She eventually settled on the green and silver one she had previously tried on.

Madoka came out in a two-tone blue halter style top with black shorts that had ties on the side. "I think I'm leaning toward this one," she announced.

Mei Mei ended up choosing the pink tie-dye suit Sophie and Hikaru had picked out for her.

"Now that this is finally over with, let's go get everything else we need, okay?" Hikaru smiled.

* * *

Friday morning came quicker than she expected. Hikaru dragged herself out of bed and did a quick inventory. It looked like she had everything. If she forgot anything, she would just have to do without it. Then she headed over to Sophie's house. From there, the four of them planned to go to the airport together.

Hikaru was the first to arrive at Sophie's. Sophie was still running around getting everything together. Surprisingly, she didn't have as much with her as Hikaru had thought she would. However, that could change depending on what she still needed to pack.

"Hey, can you call up a taxi to get us to the airport?" Sophie asked breathlessly. "I don't want to leave a car at the airport the whole time we're gone."

"No problem." Hikaru took out her phone.

Within ten minutes, Sophie was all packed and ready to go. The two of them waited anxiously for their other friends.

Mei Mei arrived shortly after Sophie had finished. Before she was even in the door, Sophie and Hikaru stopped her to make sure she had the tickets.

"You have them, right?" Hikaru inquired. Without the tickets, there would be no trip. And that would put a serious damper on their vacation.

"Oh, crap, I think I may have left them-" Mei Mei laughed at the horrified looks on her friends faces. "You guys honestly think I would forget those?"

"Not funny, Mei Mei," Sophie fumed.

"Relax," Mei Mei grinned.

Madoka showed up a few minutes later, with a giant pile of luggage. The others gaped at her. She had two small carry on sized bags and one large rolling suitcase that looked ready to burst.

"What did you bring?" Hikaru asked incredulously.

"Just the stuff I need," Madoka defended as she heaved it all through the doorway.

"And probably everything she doesn't," Sophie muttered to Mei Mei, who stifled a giggle.

"Oh, let's just get going," Madoka said peevishly.

"The taxi's not here yet," Sophie frowned. "They better hurry up and get here, otherwise we're going to miss our flight."

"It's only been a little while since I called," Hikaru reminded her. "Besides, we'll have plenty of time once we get there, anyway."

About that time, the taxi pulled into the driveway. They loaded their luggage as quickly as they could then piled into the vehicle. Forty-five minutes later, they were at the airport. They went through security relatively quickly and had their passports checked. The only hitch came when something in Sophie's bag set off the alarm, but that was resolved almost immediately. After they were done, they still had a good half hour to spend in the airport before boarding the plane.

The four of them wandered through the various stores, not finding anything particularly interesting. They grabbed breakfast at one of the shops and sat down in the waiting area near where they were supposed to get on the plane. Despite their excitement, the girls were relatively quiet. When it was time to board, they hardly said a word. Somehow, they managed to snag seats right next to each other on the plane. Hikaru and Mei Mei sat behind Sophie and Madoka, with Hikaru and Madoka next to the windows. As soon as the plane took off, though, they couldn't stop talking. Madoka had bought a guidebook for the island when they were at the mall the day before. The four of them were looking through it, pointing out things to do and places to go. There were also quite a few places to eat. The pictures of the island looked incredible, especially those of the beaches.

This vacation was going to be awesome.

The city beneath her began to get smaller and smaller. Then it was behind them entirely. Hikaru closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat.

They were on their way.


	2. The Island

**I never thought I'd be writing about the shipping I've decided on for Hikaru, but apparently I can surprise myself. This chapter is also setting everything up so there's not much to it, but next time the story will really start. **

**Thank you for your reviews, Tiger demon of light, A.B.D.Y.Z, Random queen 101, and DragonFang2011! And actually I've been trying to decide if this is AU or not and so far the best I can figure is there may be beyblade involved, but the story has nothing to do with the actual plot line of the show. I think. So it's an AU with beyblade, if that makes any sense. I'm sure I'll actually figure this out the farther into the story I go because I'm still working out the plot. **

**I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade. **

* * *

Mei Mei was the first off the plane. The other girls had managed to calm down slightly, but she hadn't been quite as lucky. Her excitement had only made the plane ride seem longer. She was ready to go. They hadn't even seen their destination yet; the airport was on a completely different island. To get to the condo, they'd be taking a boat out to their island.

Quickly, the girls picked up their luggage and left the airport. The first thing that hit Mei Mei as they walked out the door was the blasting summer heat. The second was the people.

The island was crowded beyond belief. Every time she took a step, she ended up bumping into someone. Mei Mei sincerely hoped the island they'd be staying on would be less populated.

"There's five islands near this one," Madoka informed her, as though reading her mind. "This one is the only one with an airport, so naturally there'd be more people."

"Let's just go find the boat," Sophie said impatiently. "I'm ready to get to the condo."

"Relax, we'll be there in plenty of time," Hikaru said.

Without wasting any time on the island, they took a bus to the docks. The bus was also crammed and hot so the girls dealt with it as best as they could.

After much searching and having to deal with more people than they thought possible, they managed to find the boat. Luckily, theirs was significantly less crowded than some of the other boats going out to the different islands. The boat set off a few minutes later.

From what they had gathered, the girls figured the ride would be just over an hour. Normally it wouldn't be too bad, but after being on a plane for hours on end already, the anticipation was killing them.

Sophie had taken out a magazine and was flipping through it in an attempt to solve her boredom, but it wasn't working. Hikaru and Madoka were looking through the guidebook for at least the fifth time. They didn't exactly seemed absorbed in that either. Mei Mei simply stared out at the ocean ahead.

Sophie shut her magazine and put it away. She went to go look over the railing. "Guys, come over here!"

The others raced over to see what she was talking about. A pod of dolphins was swimming right by the boat. They jumped up through the waves.

"That's amazing," Madoka breathed. The others stayed riveted to their spots, entranced. Eventually, the pod moved off in a different direction.

"I officially can't wait to get there!" Mei Mei cheered.

"You said that already. Before we got to the airport, when we got on the plane, when we were landing, and right before we got on the boat," Hikaru reminded her, amused.

Then, they got their first glimpse of the island they'd be spending their days on.

At first glance, it wasn't much to look at. The water was a darker, cloudier blue than the crystalline waters they had seen at the other islands, much to their dismay. The murkiness made it that much less appealing. The docks themselves were old and rickety. Ferns sprouted out all around the docks and grew up through the old rotting wood. As they unloaded their luggage and walked off, Mei Mei watched the creaking boards beneath her feet warily, almost expecting them to crumble apart and send her plummeting down.

The island definitely wasn't appearing to be be all that exciting so far. The docks were located on a rocky beach, with nothing much nearby, save a few old fishing cottages that were likely abandoned considering the greenery growing up around them. They exchanged a look. Where were all those things they had read about in the guidebook?

The captain of the boat had instructed them to head up the beach, then there would be a path for them to follow. Farther up the beach, the terrain changed from the rocky shore to that of a jungle. They could see the path weaving through the thick foliage.

The dense tropical plants proved to be a problem, especially as they trekked through with their luggage. Even though the path wasn't all that grown up, someone's luggage was constantly getting snagged on a tree root or some type of shrub.

"Mei Mei, are you sure you didn't get ripped off?" Hikaru groaned.

"Hey, you guys entered the contest, too. It seemed real," Mei Mei reminded them.

"It better be," Sophie remarked. "Otherwise we'll be stuck out here with nothing to do but spend time in this tropical jungle until its time to leave."

"It'd certainly be a summer to remember," Hikaru stifled a laugh.

"Joke all you want, that beach was definitely not one I want to spend my days on. Did you see all the seaweed? A little but is fine, but everywhere I stepped I was in a pile of it."

"True," Mei Mei said. "But maybe we just caught it at high tide or something."

"I wonder why this wasn't mentioned in the guidebook," Hikaru commented.

"Would you mention crawling though all these plants to get your beach house in a book that's supposed to help draw people to the island?" Sophie replied.

"Agh!" Madoka cried. She was a good five feet back. "You guys have to help me get this suitcase over the log!"

The other three rolled their eyes and smiled, but nonetheless went to help her.

After an exhausting twenty minutes, they reached the end of the path and the tropical jungle disappeared behind them. The girls couldn't tell, but they were all wearing identical faces of shock.

It was as though they were on a different island entirely.

They were surrounded by bustling streets and shops on every corner. People crowded the streets in an attempt to get where they were going. Palm trees were scattered around the area and the building structures differed greatly from what they were used to. Cars rolled past them and people were biking and walking all around. It was nothing like the part of the island they had experienced earlier.

It looked like they had reached the heart of the island.

Madoka looked around at the shops. "So that's where all these are." She waved the guidebook in the air.

"If we're in the town, then where's the condo?" Hikaru asked.

Mei Mei took out a list of directions from her bag. "According to what the contest organizers sent me, we should head down that street, then..."

They followed the directions, which led them past all the shops and towards the other end of the island. The shops became less and less the farther they got, but more houses began to appear. A little while later, they could hear waves up ahead. They were getting close.

"Is this beach going to be like the one we came in on?" Hikaru wondered aloud.

"Who cares? We're almost there, so it's not going to matter much what it looks like. Let's go!" Sophie shouted excitedly and took off ahead.

"Wait up!" The others yelled and chased after her.

Ahead of them were multiple different beach houses of varying sizes, shapes, and colors. Palm trees and other plant life surrounded them, but the atmosphere was completely different from the tropical jungle they had been in before. The plants were fewer in number by far. There were just enough to keep the beach slightly concealed and private from the rest of the world. Flowers decorated the area all around them.

Finally, the beach came into view. It was nothing like the rocky beach on which they had arrived earlier. Soft white sand stretched for miles around them. People lounged on towels all around them, but for the most part it wasn't very crowded. The sun shone brightly overhead. As for the ocean itself, it was a gorgeous turquoise color with varying shades of blues and greens. The waves crashed softly onto the beach. The girls stood in awe, disbelieving.

"We should probably head over to the condo now," Hikaru pointed out, snapping the others out of their stupor. "It's getting late."

"Really?" Mei Mei asked. Then she remembered. "Oh, right. I forgot about the time change." They had switched time zones while on their flight and were still adjusting. While it didn't feel all that late to them, it was really about 7pm. The sun may have still been up, but it would be descending in a few short hours.

They walked down the beach a ways until the beach houses began to look more and more similar. They had reached the condos.

"Which one is ours?" Madoka asked.

Mei Mei took a key out of her bag then looked at the set of directions she had been given. "It looks like we're in 17."

"Then it's just a little farther down," Hikaru noted.

After a short walking period, they reached the condo. The girls walked around it, examining the outside. The condo itself was somewhat large, about two stories, propped up on stilts high above the ground to help protect from any possible extreme weather. The back faced the ocean while the front looked toward the town. There was a large deck in the back that wrapped around to both sides that allowed for views from all different angles. For some reason, there were two sets of stairs to the left and right of the front of the house leading up to a small porch. Then they noticed the two doors.

"It's a duplex?" Sophie wrinkled her nose. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with that, I just figured that for a contest it would be a little more... Exotic maybe? They advertised it as some huge thing, not as a duplex."

"It's really just a place to sleep and eat, anyway," Madoka reminded her.

"Maybe we can get into both halves of it. It could just be two separate places for people who rent it so the owners can get more money or something. But since we won, maybe it's different for us," Mei Mei put in optimistically.

She walked up to the first door and put the key in the door. Or, at least tried to. The key wouldn't fit. "Maybe not." They moved over to the other door. This time, the key went in no problem. Mei Mei twisted the handle and opened the door.

They walked into a small dining room with a table and four chairs set off to the side. The walls were painted blue with white trim. The table and chairs were also white. Throughout the entire condo, the floors were hardwood, most likely made from some type of tropical tree. The dining room led straight to a kitchen, with stainless steel appliances. For the most part, the condo had an open floor plan with few walls. Next to the kitchen was a living room. There was a white couch in the middle in front of a tv. A wooden coffee table with flower accents sat on top of a white rug. A door connecting the two halves of the duplex was off to the side in the living room. Mei Mei attempted opening it, but it didn't work. Also on the first floor, there was a small half bathroom. From there, there was a set of stairs leading to the second floor.

While the downstairs had been painted a bright blue color, the upstairs was painted a peach color. There were three rooms upstairs. A bathroom with a both a glass door shower and bathtub and two bedrooms. The bedrooms consisted of two twin sized beds, two dressers, a wall mirror, and a closet. Hikaru and Sophie took one room while Mei Mei and Madoka took the other. They dumped their luggage in the rooms, then went back downstairs.

"Let's go check out the back deck," Sophie suggested.

The deck had an amazing view. It overlooked the ocean perfectly. Because the house was on a raised platform, there were no obstructions. They could see everything.

At each corner, there was a small table surrounded by chairs. They could only go to the side deck on their side of the duplex. There were two small gates that led to the side decks, each requiring a key. Mei Mei found their key on the kitchen counter. The side deck didn't offer as much of a view, but it was much more private. It was directly across from another condo, but because they couldn't see much on the deck of the other condo, they assumed they couldn't be seen very well either.

They went back in to unpack.

Mei Mei and Madoka were busy divvying up the closet space when Madoka thought she heard a knock at the door down below. They went to check it out, but nobody was there. They went out on the porch to look around, but they still didn't see anyway so they went back upstairs, assuming they were just hearing things after their long day. Mei Mei finished unpacking her things relatively quickly and helped Madoka with her things afterward. They went back downstairs when they were done and sat at the dining room table. Sophie and Hikaru were still busy unpacking.

"Any idea what we should do tomorrow?" Mei Mei asked.

"Not really," Madoka responded. "We definitely need to go grocery shopping but beyond that, we can do whatever we want."

"Cool," Mei Mei nodded happily. They continued talking for a few minutes when they were suddenly interrupted.

"Guys, you've got to check this out!" Hikaru's excited voice called. They turned and saw her and Sophie looking in from the glass door that led to the back deck.

"I thought they were upstairs...?" Madoka said. "Anyway, lets go see what it is."

As soon as they stepped out the door, Madoka and Mei Mei knew exactly what Hikaru was talking about.

The sun was setting.

The sky was illuminated with reds, oranges, yellows, pinks, and purples. The colors swirled in the sky, almost like a watercolor painting. Clouds floated lazily across while the sun burned a fiery red. The sun's rays spread out across the horizon, growing dimmer and dimmer as the moon began to appear, a faint glow in the distance. It was truly amazing.

The girls stayed out on the deck until the sun had completely vanished from sight and night took over. Stars twinkled directly above them.

"Wow," Madoka whispered.

"I could get used to this," Sophie nodded.

"I think I'm going to bed," Hikaru yawned. "This jet lag stuff is really weird. I'm all out of it."

"Me, too," Mei Mei agreed.

They walked back into the house, still chatting animatedly. Then they heard the crash, followed by a voice. The four froze instantly. Someone was in the condo with them.

A figure walked into the living room. They recognized it instantly.

"Gingka?" Madoka asked, surprise and shock both evident in her voice. "What are you doing here?"


	3. Soap Suds and Maple Syrup

**Someone please explain this to me: my fortune cookie said "Be smart, but never show it". Is it telling me to pretend to be an idiot? Or is it some sort of hipster fortune cookie? I don't know! *sob***

**Thank you for reviewing, Random queen 101, Tiger demon of light, and A.B.D.Y.Z! I am so glad I managed to get that sunset right. **

**I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade (but you guys already knew that :D). **

* * *

"Oh. Hey, Madoka," Gingka seemed just as surprised as everyone else, but he brushed it off quickly. "What's up?" The girls stared at him in disbelief.

"What are you doing here?" Mei Mei asked.

"Well, I had a key, so I figured I'd check this place out," Gingka shrugged. A whining noise was heard from the kitchen. "Oh, Masamune's here, too."

As if on cue, Masamune came into the room. "There's no food in the fridge! What are we supposed to eat?" he announced. Then he noticed the girls. "What are _they_ doing here?"

Sophie ignored him. "What do you mean, you had a key?" she asked Gingka.

"This is my condo!" Gingka explained. The others gaped at him. "What?"

"You better tell them, Gingka," Masamune prodded.

"Okay, so it's not really mine!" Gingka explains. "It belongs to the WBBA and they normally use it for business and other stuff, but since nobody is using it right now except for some contest, my dad said we could use it! So that's why we're here."

"We won the contest. Or at least, Mei Mei did," Hikaru told him.

"But that doesn't explain what you're doing on our side," Madoka pointed out.

"We thought we'd see if there was anything in the fridge. But there's not! And your side of the condo is way smaller than ours!" Masamune said.

"Huh?"

"Seriously! All the rooms are bigger, and we have three bedrooms!" Masamune nodded.

The girls exchanged a look. "Wait. Who else is with you then?" Sophie asked.

"Me, Masamune, Kyoya, Ryuga, Chao Xin, and Wales," Gingka ticked them off one by one on his fingers.

"How did you pick that group?" Mei Mei asked, eyebrow raised.

"I put names in a hat!" Gingka explained happily. "I didn't want to make anyone feel bad by leaving them out purposely, so I thought this was the best way!"

"Can't argue with that logic," Madoka agreed.

"Right. Now can you two get out of here?" Sophie asked. "We just got here, and we're really tired."

The two left and the girls sat down in the living room for a quick conversation.

"I can't believe this," Hikaru said.

"I know. We'll just have to make the best of this, though," Sophie commented. "At least there isn't anyone _too_ annoying or anything with him. We should be fine."

"Yeah. This could even be fun," Mei Mei put in.

They discussed this for a while longer along with other things to do, then finally went upstairs, apprehensive as to what the next day would bring.

* * *

The storm woke her around 2:30 in the morning. Lightning flashed in the sky, rain pelted the house, and thunder shook the foundation. Madoka sat up in the darkness, trying to remember where she was. Then it came back to her. The rain suddenly began to let up. A strange noise coming from below caught her attention. She walked downstairs, trying to be as quiet as possible.

The silence in the house was unnerving.

She was about to go back upstairs when a white flash outside the back door caught her attention. She went over to investigate. The rain made it impossible to see anything. Bracing herself, Madoka turned on the outside light then opened the door and stepped outside. The rain slammed against her, but she hardly noticed. Nothing was out there on the deck or below it... It must have just been lightning she'd seen. The storm was probably just playing tricks on her eyes.

She could see the waves from a distance pounding against the sand. The waves rose up high in the air, then crashed down with an ominous force. It was nothing like the peaceful sea they has seen earlier. There was something scary about seeing the ocean like this. Something scary and forbidding.

The lightning suddenly flashed, illuminating the beach. There was something out there-a person?-running wildly across the beach. Whatever it was glowed white and seemed desperate to get away from something. Then they disappeared into the inky darkness as the sky went black again.

When the lightning flashed again, the figure was gone.

* * *

"Who's ready to go shopping?" Sophie knocked on the door of Mei Mei and Madoka's room. The two groaned.

"How is she ready so early?" Mei Mei muttered.

"Maybe if we just ignore her she'll go away," Madoka suggested.

Sophie knocked on the door harder. "I heard that! Seriously guys, Hikaru and I are starving. There's no food here. Besides, it's 11 o'clock!"

The two bolted up. "It's 11?!" Mei Mei gasped. "How?"

"It's got to be because of the time zone difference or something," Madoka said into her pillow.

Sophie and Hikaru banged the door open.

"We tried to be nice, but that's not going to happen now," Hikaru stated.

Twenty chaos filled minutes later, they were all ready and out the door. Mei Mei and Madoka trudged along the path slowly, still half asleep. The only thing keeping them awake was the constant shouts from Sophie and Hikaru, and their stomachs.

The market was right on the edge of the town, about a mile from where the girls were staying. They split up into groups then started grabbing items they deemed necessary.

"What about this?" Mei Mei asked Sophie.

"Maple syrup?" Sophie's eyebrows knit in confusion. "Well, I guess we could get some pancake stuff."

The girls wandered through the aisles, filling up the shopping carts. They ran into each other a little while later, along with a certain group of boys they happened to be splitting the condo with.

Masamune and Gingka waved cheerfully, while the others seemed bored. They glanced at the girls, but didn't say anything. Chao Xin winked at them. Mei Mei looked away quickly.

Sophie was amused. "Mei Mei, do you have a crush on a certain someone?"

"What? No way!" Mi Mei flushed ten different shades of red. "Besides, Chao Xin is like, a total player. I do _not_ like him. No way."

"She never said which one," Hikaru grinned.

"What? Well it doesn't matter. I thought that was who you were talking about! Don't mess with me like that! And I still don't like him, anyway!" Mei Mei defended.

They continued shopping and went on their way.

* * *

The girls dumped their pile of groceries on the ground.

"Okay, next time," Hikaru panted, "We need to find a better way to carry these."

"Definitely," Mei Mei gasped.

The girls had each had 3or 4 bags with them that had threatened to break at any minute. They had to carry them all the way from town back to the condo, which wouldn't have been so bad except for the fact that they had to walk on the beach. The sand made the trek seem harder and longer. They painstakingly carried them up the steps. Ryuga was out on the porch.

"For the record, I had nothing to do with it," he told them then went inside his half of the condo.

"What do you think that was about?" Madoka asked.

"I don't know," Hikaru said slowly. "But I don't have a good feeling about it."

The girls walked in then started to put the groceries away. Sophie opened the fridge and screamed. The others raced over. A furry, spider-like creature was sitting in it.

"Wait a minute," Mei Mei reached in and grabbed it. "This is fake!" Everyone let out a collective sigh of relief.

"That must of been what Ryuga was talking about," Sophie rolled her eyes. "Good job, guys. Real original. I'm going to take a shower."

The others finished up, then they heard a shout from upstairs.

Sophie was standing outside the bathroom, an irritated look on her face. "They flooded the bathroom. There's soap everywhere. Don't even get me started on the bedrooms. Oh yeah, the toilets are covered in plastic wrap, too."

The others went to check out the damage. The bedrooms were filled with balloons, making walking practically impossible. Soap suds spilled out of the tub and made the floors slippery. The toilets were all wrapped up, with at least five layers of plastic.

"We saw them at the market! Were we really gone that long after they left?" Mei Mei asked incredulously.

"Apparently so," Sophie replied with an icy tone. "C'mon, let's go talk to them."

The guys weren't on the deck, but a quick walk around the condo revealed no recent footsteps other than their own so the girls found themselves knocking on the door. Gingka opened it, took one look at their glares, then slammed the door shut. Hikaru knocked again. This time, Kyoya answered.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"You guys to clean up the mess you made!"

"I had nothing to do with that! It was all Gingka and Masamune!"

"Thanks a lot, Kyoya!" they could hear Masamune call from inside the condo.

"Anyway, we're busy, so get lost!" He closed the door.

"Busy doing what?" Madoka wondered.

Sophie had gone silent. "Are you okay?" Mei Mei asked her.

"If that's how they want to play, then so be it," Sophie said. "I'm not backing down."

"Huh?" Hikaru asked.

Sophie ignored her and went back in their half. A plan was already formulating in her head.

The girls waited quietly until the guys had all left. Madoka went out to the deck then came right back. "It's just like we thought!" she confirmed. "They left their back door open."

"Perfect," Hikaru nodded. They grabbed various objects then sneaked into the boys' condo. It was similar to theirs, but like Gingka and Masamune had told them, it was bigger.

"Do you really think it's fair to get back at all them?" Madoka asked.

"Of course!" Hikaru nodded. "Even if it was just Gingka and Masamune, the others obviously knew about it based on what Kyoya and Ryuga told us! Either way, they were still involved!"

Sophie took control. "Okay, I can work on the Oreos, Madoka can do the toothbrushes, Mei Mei can do the soap, and Hikaru can do the deodorant."

"Why do I have to do the deodorant?" Hikaru made a face.

"Just do it! Here's the cream cheese."

The girls split up.

Sophie took out the Oreos and removed the filling. Toothpaste was used as the replacement. It looked identical to the cream that had been there a few moments ago. Once she was done, she put them back in the container.

Madoka went into the bathrooms and sprinkled some table salt on each toothbrush. She put on enough so that it wouldn't be seen, but would still have an effect.

Mei Mei grabbed all the hand soap containers, then emptied them. She refilled them back up with syrup then returned them to where she had found them.

Hikaru ran upstairs. She grabbed the six deodorants, taking note of where each one had been. Then she went back to the kitchen where the others were working and set up on the island. She put a small layer of cream cheese on top of each of the deodorants, then placed them back in their spots.

"If we're going to prank them back, it's going to be subtle but effective, " Sophie commented once they were finished.

* * *

Madoka was half-asleep on the couch when she heard the knock at the door. It was quiet at first, then turned into a loud banging. Obviously there was more than one person at the door. As she got closer to the door, she could hear voices on the other side. The guys.

"What do you want?" she asked, opening the door.

Each one of the guys wore a different expression, ranging from shocked to annoyed to extremely pissed off. She had to hide a smile.

"I think you know," Kyoya snarled.

"Yeah, does this mean anything to you?" Ryuga poured the syrup out of the soap container.

Madoka pretended not to know anything. "Um, why are you pouring soap out onto the porch?"

"It's syrup!" Wales told her irritably. "Not like you didn't all ready now that."

"Why was-"

Masamune cut her off. "Seriously?! How could you do this to a pack of perfectly good Oreos?"

"Yeah!" Gingka chimed in. "Madoka, I thought you were better than this!"

"Toothpaste in the Oreos and syrup in the soap bottles? Why would you even do that?" Chao Xin commented.

Hikaru came to Madoka's rescue. "We have no idea what you're talking about. Now leave." She slammed the door shut. The two girls immediately burst out laughing.

"I don't even think they know about the deodorant and toothbrushes yet!" Madoka gasped.

"Then they're in for a big surprise!" Hikaru laughed.

The pranks went on for a while, with the guys being much more dramatic (digging a hole beneath Mei Mei's beach towel) and the girls more subtle (painting bars of soap with clear nail polish and hiding alarm clocks set to go off at 3am).

Madoka watched the guys in the water from the deck. One of them just kept catching her attention no matter what he did.


	4. Cold Weather and Sunsets

**Yeah, you guys are right, I was definitely looking too deep into that fortune cookie. In other news... This story has cover art! It took forever but I managed to come up with something. At first I wrote on a mirror with lipstick but the picture wouldn't come out exactly right. But now the story has something better! Also, I have a week to finish my summer work so idk when my next update will be and I really have to work on my other story at some point. **

**As always, thanks to Random queen 101, Tiger demon of light, Kingdom's Oathkeeper, A.B.D.Y.Z, Angelfromheaven2012, DragonFang2011, and Guest(the pairings may not be exactly what you think) for reviewing!**

**I don't own Metal Fight Beyblade. **

* * *

Sophie was glad the prank war had come to an end, for the most part anyway. It was her summer vacation and she wanted to relax as much as possible. She didn't want to spend anymore of her time cleaning up soap suds(she honestly couldn't believe they'd decided to flood the bathroom _again_). Not to mention they were done with falling into the holes beneath their towels. How the guys managed to dig so fast when the girls were only in the water for a few minutes remained a mystery. After the first few drops, they learned to lift up their towels and check before lying down.

Other than those few mishaps, their vacation was really going well. Even then, it wasn't that bad.

Actually, and Sophie couldn't believe she was honestly thinking this, it was kind of fun having the guys around. It made everything that much more exciting. Whenever things were starting to feel monotone, the guys always did something that changed that. Like the time Gingka and Masamune threw seaweed at Hikaru while she had been relaxing in a beach chair. She'd been pissed as all get out, and Kyoya, Ryuga, and Chao Xin had dunked them in the water and held them under the water for a few.

Needless to say, Hikaru had still been irritated, but she'd gotten over it quickly. Of course, sneaking back onto their side and filling the shampoo bottles with seaweed had helped. Sophie was still surprised the guys hadn't bothered to lock their door. They probably should have learned by now.

Or maybe they just didn't really care.

One thing, person, Sophie couldn't help but notice was Wales. He wasn't like the others. He sat out on the deck most of the time and wasn't involved with the majority of their antics. She wondered why he had even decided to go when Gingka invited him. Maybe he just wanted to go to the beach or wanted to get away from his normal life for a while.

It really didn't matter, though. Either way, she had to admit, she was drawn to him.

In school, they were sort of rivals, but close all the same. They were pretty friendly with one another and would work on projects together sometimes, but that was really as deep as their relationship went. More than once Sophie subconsciously found herself trying to compete against him for a higher grade. It wasn't just that she wanted to do her best, in a way... She wanted to get his attention. She wanted him to notice her the same way she noticed him.

Sophie shook her head, snapping back to reality. What was she thinking? She and Wales were acquaintances. That was all they would ever be.

"Gingka!" Madoka was yelling from across the beach. Sophie sat up on her towel and grinned. What had he done this time?

A pile of sand hit her smack in the face. Once she blinked it out of her eyes, she could see Ryuga and Masamune standing a few feet away from her. She looked at them pointedly. "Who did it this time?"

"Who do you think?" Ryuga said dryly. "It's pretty obvious."

"Hey!" Masamune shouted. "It really wasn't me this time! Ryuga did it!"

Sophie looked at him. "Am I honestly supposed to believe that? Considering you've done it the past two times, thrown seaweed at Hikaru, and dumped a bucket of water of Mei Mei's head, I don't think so."

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Right."

"Actually, he is," Kyoya told her, walking up the beach toward the condo. "I saw Ryuga throw it from here."

Ryuga glared at him. "Thanks, Kyoya. Way to spoil my fun."

Sophie didn't know how to respond to this. Instead, she got up and walked down to the water where her friends were.

Gingka had apparently splashed Madoka with the cold seawater before she had fully adjusted. Besides it being extremely cold, she was now completely soaked, despite the fact that she was only up to her waist in the water.

"I cannot believe he did that," she fumed.

Hikaru and Mei Mei were also out there with her, complaining about the cold water as well.

"We're in the tropics. Honestly, shouldn't it be warm? We should be complaining it's hot here, not freezing," Hikaru said through chattering teeth.

"Let's just go in," Mei Mei suggested.

They debated this for a minute. On one hand, they could stay out here and freeze, but it was unlikely they'd have to deal with the guys since they'd all gone in. On the other, they could go back to their half, but the guys would probably break in and annoy them or something. They really needed to get that extra key away from Gingka. More than once they'd run into someone snooping through the fridge. An entire pack of hamburgers had disappeared once.

They stayed outside, but now even the wind was cold. Dark clouds started to roll in and the waves began to grow larger. As if on cue, Gingka called to them from the deck. They could hear him, but just barely.

"Hey guys, there's a big storm coming so you probably wanna get in now!" They noticed he walked back in through their side. So much for privacy.

The girls went back up the beach and collected their towels and chairs then went up the stairs to the porch. They decided against leaving the towels out in case the wind got too strong and blew them off the railing. It probably wouldn't happen, but they wanted to be careful.

Just as they suspected, the guys were waiting for them in their living room.

"What are you doing here?" Mei Mei asked, somewhat oblivious.

"Mei Mei, they're in here every day; they just want to torture us," Madoka said. She was still wet for the most part. "I'm going upstairs to change and dry my hair because _someone_ thought it'd be funny to drench me when the water's freezing." Gingka looked away guiltily. He didn't notice the smile on her face. The other girls went upstairs as well.

When they were done, they held a quick meeting in the upstairs hallway.

"What are we going to do about them?" Hikaru asked.

"No idea," Sophie shook her head. "There's gotta be a way to get rid of them, even if just for a while."

A loud clap of thunder startled them, causing all four to shriek simultaneously.

"Sounds like they're done changing," they could hear Chao Xin commenting downstairs. "Let's go up and see them."

"Hey!" Hikaru yelled down the stairs. "You don't know that! Stay down!"

"We can hear you talking about us from down here," Kyoya informed them. "Unless you're standing there while changing, you're done."

Defeated, the girls walked downstairs.

"Fine, we're done," Madoka sighed. "But can you guys please go? We want some time to ourselves."

"And our hamburgers back," Mei Mei added. Gingka's eyes widened. Masamune glanced at him with an "I told you so" look on his face.

"We gave you time earlier," Ryuga said. "A whole hour on the beach. We had to restrain Gingka and Masamune from running out there. As much as I wanted to let them go to torment the hell out of you, the others insisted they stay."

"And we appreciate that. Now _go_," Sophie ordered.

Chao Xin stood up. "Alright. If the ladies want us to go, then there's no point in staying. But you know where to find us." He disappeared behind he connecting door while the others followed suit.

Again, Sophie found herself wondering why Wales had decided to go with them as she stared at his retreating back.

"Thank god," she fell back into one of the seats. "I really thought they would never leave."

"They did not!" Mei Mei yelling from the bathroom caught her attention. "They filled our soap with maple syrup!"

"Real original, guys!" Madoka yelled at the connecting door. If the guys heard, they made no response.

The storm raged for a few hours, then began to calm down later on. The beach became utterly silent.

The next morning, the girls found a note on their dining room table.

"They were in here while we were sleeping," Hikaru's mouth hung wide open. Normally, she would have been furious, but today she was too shocked more than anything else.

Sophie read over the note. "They want to have dinner with us? This can only end well."

"We may as well go," Mei Mei pointed out.

"Yeah," Madoka agreed, sounding unconvinced more than anything.

"Well, we don't have any plans for tonight," Sophie mentioned. "Why not go?"

"Alright," Hikaru nodded. "What's the worst that could happen?"

"Never ask that," Madoka advised.

* * *

They spent their day exploring the island. The soft sand gave way to the rocky shores they had arrived on after about three miles. The girls chose to head back at that point, not wanting to deal with climbing over any jagged rocks. After, they went to check out the town. The town seemed to be divided into three major sections: a small area where the people native to the island lived, an area with tiny shops, and the tourist hot spots. Hotels and other fancy restaurants decorated the streets, along with a few clubs in this particular part of town. It was definitely the most crowded section.

There was a large group of girls surrounding something that drew their attention. Upon closer inspection, they realized the "something" was Chao Xin. The girls rolled their eyes.

"Shocker," Mei Mei commented. "He can't go anywhere without drawing the attention of about fifty girls." The girls noted a sharp, almost bitter tone in her voice, completely uncharacteristic of their friend.

The remaining hours of the day passed quickly. The girls found their way to the restaurant.

"Well,they're not here yet," Madoka noted.

"You're surprised?" Hikaru arched an eyebrow.

"Hey!" A shout alerted them. The guys had arrived. Masamune and Gingka ran up to meet them, while the rest lingered behind. Chao Xin appeared to have shaken off his crowd of girls.

They walked into the restaurant.

"What do you mean we need a reservation?" Masamune whined. "This is totally unfair!"

The hostess explained to them that the restaurant was full, and they needed to call in advance. Masamune, Gingka, and even Kyoya started arguing. Ryuga looked slightly irritated while Chao Xin and Wales just looked bored.

"Fine," Kyoya glared. "Let's go, guys."

"There's probably a burger place or somewhere else we can go," Chao Xin led the way.

They did manage to find one and sat down at an outside table.

Things were going well for awhile until Gingka and Masamune got into a fight over the ketchup and Mei Mei got squirted in the face with it. They apologized profusely, but Mei Mei was not appeased. Madoka tried to intervene, but she too ended up covered in ketchup. Sophie and Hikaru suppressed laughs.

As Sophie watched everyone fooling around, she couldn't help but feel jealous of the relationship Gingka and Madoka seemed to have.

"So can we have the key?" Sophie interrupted.

"What key?" Gingka stared blankly at her.

"_You_ know which one I'm talking about. The one that connects the two halves of the duplex."

"Oh right. I don't have it anymore."

"What?" Hikaru turned her attention to the conversation. "Where is it then?"

"Somebody took it."

Everyone turned to faced Masamune.

"What?" He put his hands up in protest. "I don't have it! Why does everyone blame me?"

Each of the boys vehemently denied having the key, no matter how much the girls prodded. It looked like the girls weren't going to be keeping their half of the condo as private as they wanted.

"Besides," Chao Xin put in, " We leave our half open on the back deck. You can get into our side whenever you want."

"Yeah, but first, we don't go on your side whenever we want. Second, we aren't leaving our door unlocked so obviously, we don't want visitors. By leaving yours open, it suggests you do," Hikaru pointed out.

"Okay-" Kyoya started to say but was interrupted as the entire group launched into a lighthearted argument about the whole situation.

When they were almost back, the blue color of the sky was slowly fading into purples, oranges, reds, and yellows.

"Sunset!" Gingka cheered.

He and the others raced up toward their condo, but Sophie noticed something weird. Wales was walking away from the duplex.

"Hey, where are you going?" she asked.

"To see the sunset," he responded, not looking back.

"But everyone's going to the deck."

"I know a better place," he paused. "You want to come?"

Sophie looked back at her friends, who were disappearing behind the door. They could do without her. "Sure."

Sophie followed Wales through the tropical foliage. They climbed over rocks(she really wished she'd worn better shoes) and up a steep path. Where were they going? Sunset would be any minute. The sky was already glowing with different shades. If they had to go much farther, they would definitely miss it. Were they just going to watch it along the path?

Then suddenly the path stopped. She pushed back some thick plants that threatened to whack her in the face if she didn't, then saw their destination.

It was a cliff, poised high above the rest of the island. She could see the waves crashing onto the beach far below them. It was so much better than the view from the deck.

"It's amazing," she breathed.

Wales nodded. "I found it the first day we got here."

The two sat on the edge of the cliff, watching the sun sink down.

Sophie felt something brush past her hand. At first, she thought it was a weird bug or something. Then she realized it was Wales's hand. She looked up at him. He seemed intent on the horizon.

Then she really saw him.

He was still the same guy she had known for years, but he was different. He had grown up. And she had never noticed. Or maybe she had, but it didn't fully hit her until that moment. She was _falling_ for him. She'd been falling for him all along, but had pushed her feelings aside, never noticing them.

But here, so far from home and away from their friends, everything else melted away. The emotions she had buried deep inside were coming out in full swing. She could deny it all she wanted, but they were still there.

"Sophie?"

Wales looked at her, then moved in closer. Their faces were inches apart.

The sun finally vanished and stars began to illuminate the sky.

"Let's head back," Wales said suddenly. "We don't want to have to walk back down in the dark."

Sophie followed him, wishing desperately that he had kissed her.


End file.
